We didn’t see many other cars as my sister navigated the tricky roads of rural Negeri Sembilan. We were making our way to Johol, one of the Malaysian state’s traditional territories. Rumour has it that were-tigers, believed to embody the supernatural essence of Negeri Sembilan’s ancestors, roam around the hill forests on either side of the winding single-lane road leading us to town. This belief in ancestral were-tigers highlights the importance of ancestral guardianship over age-old adat (customs) that deeply influences every aspect of life in Negeri Sembilan. It was my desire to learn more about this state’s adat—known as Adat Perpatih—and how it has existed alongside civil and syariah laws that prompted my sister and I to make the trip.

Negeri Sembilan’s official website describes Adat Perpatih as “a complete social system” representing “a form of lifestyle that is older than the English Common Law”. Centuries ago, Minangkabau settlers from West Sumatra arrived in the region, marrying locals and integrating into existing communities even as they imported customs and practices from home. Adat Perpatih is distinguished by two key features that challenge conventional perceptions of Malay society: the monarch is elected by traditional chiefs and the inheritance of lineage and property follows matrilineal lines. This goes against the grain of traditional Malay worldviews that emphasise patriarchy, patriliny and a feudal relationship between the ruler (raja) and the ruled (rakyat).

• Tags: Adat Perpatih, Issue 37, Malaysia, Ruby Jusoh